Coyote cull unlikely in Cape Breton park following attack
Posted Aug 11, 2010 05:35:40 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Cape Breton Highlands National Park officials say that the park isn’t planning to begin a widespread cull of coyotes, despite two serious attacks within 10 months.
Parks Canada’s Derek Quann says although they’ll be agressively trapping inside the park in hopes of catching the animal involved in Monday’s attack, a cull isn’t the answer.
Nova Scotia announced a bounty on coyotes in April, following the fatal mauling of a Toronto woman in the park last October and increasing reports around the province of aggressive encounters with the wild dogs.
Cape Breton Highlands National Park is exempt because it’s federal juristiction.
Quann says culls are ineffective because they actually spur the animal to reproduce faster to renew the population.
Nova Scotia’s Minister of Natural Resources John MacDonnell says he’s not going to meddle with the federal agency.
“If at some point they feel that they could or should do more I’m sure you’ll see the appropriate reaction,” says MacDonnell.
Quann says that park staff have found that they can use other techniques, including the use of loud air horns and pepper spray, to effectively deter coyotes from getting too familiar with park visitors.
